FDA: New Safety Standards for Infant Formula

Days after the Associated Press reported that traces of melamine and cyanuric acid were found in 2 different brands of infant formula, FDA regulators established a safety limit for the chemicals.

The limit is higher than the amount of contamination found in the recent cases.

The new standard states that up to 1 part per million of melamine in baby formula is safe, stipulating that a related chemical is not present, which would include cyanuric acid. As well, they contend that the contaminated formulas reported are safe for consumption.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof, the FDA director of food safety, said on Friday that although there were no new studies done since October that would give regulators new information, he was assured that the new regulation level for either melamine or cyanuric acid was accurate. He also stressed that without both chemicals present in the samples of the cases of contamination, there was no cause for concern, since past studies have shown negative health effects only with both chemicals mixed. If both chemicals are present, the agency offers no safety limit for melamine.

Dr. Sundlof offered no clarification as to why this limit was not put in place before now.

Some members of Congress, an Illinois attorney, and a national consumer group have called for a national recall of the tainted formula. The FDA supports that that makes no sense since it has no evidence of such levels being dangerous for infant consumption.

Enfamil LIPIL with Iron and Mead Johnson's Infant Formula Powder was found to have cyanuric acid in some of its samples of formula, while Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron and Abbot Laboratories tested positive for melamine in their samples.

Ninety percent of all infant formula manufactured in the US is produced by these three formula makers.

Melamine is found in a cleaning solution used on some food processing equipment, and can legally be used in some food packaging.

The FDA said that will continue animal testing to verify the effects of consumption of both melamine and cyanuric acid.